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County passes resolution for renourishment funding

Manatee County is taking steps toward nourishment for the beaches of Anna Maria Island.

County commissioners voted 7-0 Aug. 20 for a consent agenda containing a resolution authorizing the parks and natural resources department to file a long-range erosion control budget plan with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The county must submit the plan to qualify for state funding for two renourishment projects planned for beaches southward from 79th Street in Holmes Beach to Bradenton Beach at Longboat Pass in 2020.

The first project, planned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will cover the beachfront from 79th Street in Holmes Beach to Fifth Street South in Bradenton Beach.

The section of work is the central beach project and is authorized to receive federal funding. At a total of $16 million, the corps of engineers will pay 56.4% of the cost. The state and county will split the remainder.

The second county project will begin at Fifth Street South in Bradenton Beach and end at Longboat Pass, at a total cost of $4 million. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will shoulder 75% of the expense, with the state and county sharing the remaining $1 million.

The projects were combined into one bid advertisement to reduce mobilization costs, according to Hunsicker.

While most funding will come from the state and federal governments, the county’s funds for renourishment projects are provided by a 1-cent tourist development tax, which is collected by the Manatee County Tourist Development Council, an advisory board to the county commission.